


Amnesia

by RandomWriting789



Category: She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018)
Genre: Amnesia, F/F, Fluff and Angst, Memory Loss
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-03
Updated: 2020-09-28
Packaged: 2021-03-06 02:33:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 14,003
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25695850
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RandomWriting789/pseuds/RandomWriting789
Summary: After a year of rebuilding Etheria and returning magic to the universe, Adora finally feels happy. Time went by so quickly and she enjoyed every second of it. She had a life full of the action and adventure she lived for, as well as friends and family that mattered so much to herHowever, things take a horrible turn when she its her head while fighting some Horde armies on a new planet
Relationships: Adora & Bow & Catra & Glimmer (She-Ra), Adora & Bow & Glimmer (She-Ra), Adora & Catra (She-Ra), Adora & Glimmer (She-Ra), Adora/Catra (She-Ra)
Comments: 13
Kudos: 108





	1. A blow to the Head

''ON YOUR LEFT'' Catra yelled as a Horde army charged at the two of them.

A Year and a half after the fall of Prime and he still managed to impact planets. Horde clones who had been stationed like Hordak believed that Prime was still out there, and that they needed to impress him with their progress on planets. By the time the Best Friend Squad made it to their first planet, it was like Etheria all over again, at least now there were other rebellions. Both Catra and Adora hated to admit it, but they genuinely enjoyed things being the way they were. It was a good feeling of Adventure, it felt oddly fun to fight alongside eachother, to take some kind of action.

Glimmer knew what they were feeling. When she had first become queen, she too had stayed away from the front lines. Her life had gotten boring, bland, she had no adventures to occupy her. When Bow and Adora had gone to the crimson waste, she didn't just want to come for to help, she wanted that adventurous feeling again. She supposed growing up in a war and devoting all their time to fighting had that impact on the squad. No one really wanted to go to a peaceful, uneventful life. They all felt closer when they were helping and freeing planets from small Horde factions.

Adora threw a clone right at Catra, yelling ''COMING IN'' Catra effortlessly batted it with her staff, sending it flying into other clones.

She never thought she and She Ra would make such a good team, but their combined strength, precision, agility, and training made them an unstoppable duo. They'd kissed a handful of times since the events in the heart, but hadn't admitted to anyone that they were in a relationship, feeling awkward. Something like this would be extremely frowned upon where they came from. They were never brought up to say anything and decided to wait, even though they were in the rebellion now.

''THERE'S TOO MANY, GET SPARKLES'' Catra cried as she threw at least five clones off with her stick.

''I CAN'T SHE'S REINFORCING THE SPELL'' Adora yelled back, moving closer to Catra, who looked livid ''SHE'S DONE IT LIKE TEN TIMES, THE SPELL WILL KEEP GOING FOR THE ENTIRE UNIVERSE AT THIS POINT''

''I'LL GET BOW, COVER ME!'' Catra's quick thinking was really coming in handy now. Adora nodded as she sweeped every clone around Catra with her sword.

They were almost to the ship when they saw the clones about to swarm the area. 

''oh no'' She Ra whined. She sighed as she told Catra, ''You get Bow and Glimmer and send a quick distress call to the princesses, we can all take them together, i'll hold them off until then''

''You sure?'' Catra questioned, Adora silently nodded as she powered up and sent a wave of energy at the army, Catra quickly ran up to the ship.

* * *

The ship had changed in the past year. Entrapta had souped it up and made it run ten times better than before. She'd figured out how to grow and farm Thulite to fuel the engines. The squad had cleaned up and decorated the place to look more like home. They all slept together in the bunk room and made Catra's old room a guest place. They'd established a kitchen, control room, space bathroom, and most importantly...Catra dashed inside quickly

The teleporter room

With all the spare time Bow and Glimmer had before they went on the journey, they had gotten some crazy ideas. Glimmer had explained in detail how her teleportation works, and Bow and Entrapta were happy to listen. They figured out the intricacies and overall relationship between magic and science, using Glimmer as a test subject. Their findings were able to help them create a new system with Micah, called the Etherian Teleportation system. 

Glimmer and Micah would make teleporters all over Etheria. Some would be powered by runestones and others would be by Thulite from Entrapta. They used the connected magic within Etheria and figured out patterns that could allow people to teleport. After months of work, during the reunification on Etheria, they managed to get the whole thing up and running as a full on system that let people step into a teleporter and go wherever they pleased. 

Glimmer had been powering up the spell on the ship, it had taken tons of work to make sure it remained connected to Etheria, which was lightyears away by now. It let them go home and back at will, so they'd spend some nights home and some nights here. Princesses would regularly show up and check in, sometimes spending the night, while Entrapta had her own room because of how frequently she was on there.

Catra bolted into the room as Glimmer finished chanting.

''Send...Distress call...go help Adora....Get Bow'' She panted

''What?'' Glimmer questioned as she looked away from the spell

''Big... clone army...send distress call..we gotta take them out together'' She finally caught her breath. ''Look outside''

She pointed to a window down the hall, Glimmer saw She Ra facing an army alone and quickly turned to Catra. ''I'll get the alliance, you and Bow go help Adora''

She ran into the teleporter as Catra went to get Bow.

The alliance wasted no time in coming to their aid, but Adora was getting tired. The army separated her from the others as the attacked. 

Catra, Bow and Glimmer tried a new move together, they were turned away as a blinding light came and Adora transformed back.

Perfuma, Mermista, and Frosta quickly yelled as they attacked the other side of the army.

Catra jumped up and down ''THAT WAS AWESOME'' She yelled. Glimmer had cast a spell on the Arrow and Catra had thrown Bow upwards to shoot the magic arrow at the clones, it had worked wonders. ''HEY ADORA! YOU GOTTA SE-'' Catra paused as she realized Adora wasn't there. She quickly turned to the other two, who shook their heads.

''Keep going, they're almost done, i'll find her'' Catra dashed off as she searched the sea of clones for her friend. ''Adora, where did you go?'' She asked as she saw no one. She ran to the area with rockier terrain, the battle was still going in the distance, Catra looked around until she spotted her.

Adora was lying next to a jagged rock, blood dampening her hair as it flowed from her head. 

Catra let out a scream as she ran over to the girl, checking for a heartbeat. Relief washed over her as she felt a strong pulse beneath her fingers, Adora was alive. ''You better not be brain damaged'' Catra sighed as she tore a piece of her new jacket and pressed it to Adora's wound, trying to stop the flow. Adora seemed completely peaceful in her arms, Catra couldn't help but smile at her ''Even when you're injured, you're so darn cute'' 

Bow and Glimmer ran over to them ''What happened?!?!'' They cried. 

''She probably it her head on that rock, but she seems to be ok, we're gonna need a doctor on the ship to close up her head wound'' Catra replied shakile. She had to take charge right now, she had to get Adora some help. 

The other princesses eventually arrived and they all managed to safely transfer them to the ship's guest room, Scorpia tried comforting Catra.

''She'll be okay, wildcat, she always is'' She placed a claw on Catra's shoulder, Perfuma came towards them as well. ''During you time away, she sustained much worse, just keep calm until she gets up'' She kissed Scorpia on the cheek ''Come on, honey, we can't leave your kingdom for too long right now, things might get out of hand'' Perfuma ushered Scorpia. ''Catra, we'll make sure to make you some herbal tea and visit again'' She smiled at the girl, Catra smiled back.

Bow and Glimmer held hands as they sat at Adora's side, Spinerella and Netossa walked arm in arm to greet them, Seahawk and Mermista messed around with eachother as they all talked after the fight. 

After a few hours, everyone went home and decided on a sleepover when Adora recovered. It almost hurt Catra to see everyone so close to their significant other. She was aware of Bow and Glimmer's feelings, though they hadn't admitted they were dating yet. Meanwhile she was timidly holding Adora's hand and watching over her as she slept, still unable to admit her relationship to anyone else.

Bow and Glimmer went to set up a defense on the ship, so that the clone armies would be kept at bay. They said they'd get some blankets and camp together in the guest room to stay close to Adora.

Once the door locked, Catra leaned down and placed a kiss on Adora's forehead. ''Get well soon, okay babe?''

She slowly fell asleep on her chair before Bow and Glimmer could get her blankets


	2. Waking Up

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adora wakes up in the mind of her 17 year old self, around the time they're supposed to be going to the Crimson Wastes. What'll she do when she sees her arch enemy at her side?

It had been a few hours since everyone had gotten up.

Bow and Glimmer had went again to reinforce the defense against the Horde clones and Catra and Entrapta had made breakfast. Adora was healing pretty well, but she still remained in her slumber. Perfuma had shown up to personally give Catra some tea and tell her Adora was healing well. She'd be awake today if things remained on track.

Entrapta had surprisingly helped her make the best tiny breakfast possible. They were both terrible cooks so it wasn't perfect but it was edible, and Catra considered it a win. Entrapta had decided to eat while working on the ship and building a new invisibility shield so they wouldn't need Melog all the time.

Melog would go in and out of Etheria whenever they wanted. Going through the teleporter was like going through a regular cat flap. They'd been spending tons of time in Mystacor with Casta, who was studying how they could revive their species. Safe to say, Melog was doing well. Catra sighed as she sat with Adora and ate her food.

''When you get up, you gotta try this'' She said while chewing. Adora seemed to sigh a little in her sleep. Catra kissed her on the cheek before sitting at her side again.

* * *

It was a long time before Adora actually stirred. So long in fact that Bow and Glimmer had decided to go exploring for awhile. She groaned as she got up, alerting Catra to her condition. 

''Adora? Hey, How're you feeling?" Catra held her hand as she moved around, trying to shake off the sleep.

Adora went still the moment she heard Catra's voice. She quickly reached under her pillow for her knife. Her blood ran cold as she realized she wasn't in Bright Moon anymore. ''Adora? You okay?"

Adora cried out as she punched Catra directly in the face, sending her staggering backwards. ''Adora! What the Hell?'' Adora looked around to search for the Sword of Protection. The Horde must've taken it from her when they brought her here. ''What did you do to me?'' Adora yelled as she charged at Catra again. Catra seemed terrified, she was never going to fight Adora again and she couldn't hurt her in her condition. ''Adora, I-''

''Where have you guys taken me, Catra? Where are my friends?'' It was less of a question and more of a demand. Catra gulped ''Adora, calm down, they're out exploring, they'll be back soon'' It did anything but calm Adora down.

''Do you honestly expect me to believe that? After everything you've already done? Where are you keeping them?'' Catra tried to calm her again, still not knowing what was going on. ''Adora, please, you have a massive head wound, you need to sit down'' Adora nervously touched the back of her head to be sure, she went even colder as she felt the bandages. 

''So you think i'll just sit here? It's probably you guys who gave me that injury in the first place!" Adora had almost hit her, but she decided not to since Catra wasn't attacking at all. She had to keep her guard up, it was just like Catra to take her down when she wasn't looking. Catra tried again ''Adora, please, i don't want you to get hurt'' 

Adora laughed a little ''since when?'' she questioned. Catra froze up at the comment ''y-you don't remember?'' she whispered

''How can i not remember?'' Adora rolled her eyes ''You've tried to kill me a bunch of times, you fight for the Horde, you've hurt my friends and most of Etheria, do you really think i'd trust you'' She was trying to put up the strongest persona possible, she needed to make sure she didn't fall to one of Catra's old tricks. By now, Catra was on the floor as Adora was in a stance to take her down if she moved. She really seemed to have gotten better at acting, she seemed genuinely pained by Adora's words.

''Hello!'' came a familiar voice, Adora immediately turned around ''Entrapta!'' she cried as she saw the girl.

''Oh, hi Adora, glad to see you're doing better, i'm just checking the invisibility in here, i won't be long'' She looked up from her tracker pad when she saw Catra on the floor ''What happened to her?'' she asked casually

''What do you mean 'what happened' You guys kidnapped me!'' Entrapta stared for a moment

''Negative, you said three days ago that you really liked being here, by the way, you better lay down, this isn't good for your wound''

Catra tried again ''Adora, if you lay down, i promise i'll try to get Bow and Glimmer to you as soon as possible''

Adora glared at her ''And you'll give me my sword? and let us go?'' She asked sarcastically ''Catra, i'm not stupid i know this is a trap, now let us go before i make you''

Catra didn't think a threat from Adora would hurt so bad. It brought her back to the time when they were enemies, a time she was desperate to forget. She didn't know what to do, Adora clearly didn't trust her at all. Adora turned to Entrapta. ''Entrapta? Where are we? Look, whatever happened we never meant to abandon you, we can get out of here together'' She wanted to apologize for leaving Entrapta so badly, she knew this wasn't her.

Entrapta laughed ''Why would we want to leave? We're in Darla right now!''

''Darla?'' Adora asked, confused

''The first ones ship, I named it, remember?''

Adora's eyes widened ''FIRST ONES SHIP?!?!'' She ran at Catra and slammed her against the wall. ''Where did you take us?'' She questioned angrily ''What did you do to Entrapta?"

Catra was unwilling to meet Adora's angry eyes, suddenly the door opened again, Bow and Glimmer walked in

''Ok, bad news, we're surrou- '' Bow's eyes widened as he saw the scene before him. ''Adora! You're awake!'' Glimmer smiled.

Adora looked like relief had washed over her, the anger in her eyes disappeared as she ran to hug Bow and Glimmer. ''Glimmer! Bow! I'm so glad you guys are ok. I've taken Catra down for now, we gotta get outta here!''

''Woah, what happened here?'' Bow asked as he looked at Catra on the floor, Adora pulled away from the hug. ''Adora? Are you okay?'' Glimmer asked worriedly 

''Of course i'm okay'' Adora was frantic, her eyes suddenly widened ''What's with the new get up?'' She looked at Glimmer's new style and became even more confused, Bow went to help Catra up.

''Bow! What are you doing?'' Adora yelled as Catra grunted ''We need to leave!"

Bow looked to Catra, who fell back down ''She think's we're in the Horde'' she answered, Bow turned around. Adora's eyes widened even more. ''Bow? What's with the new style? You guys look so old'' Adora was more calm now that her friends were here,but she had to keep her guard up, just in case. ''You didn't have to go this crazy for the Crimson Waste''

''Adora, lay back down'' Glimmer ordered ''Bow, somethings up, she thinks we're going to the Waste''

''Ya think?'' Catra remarked as she showed the reddening bruise on her face

Adora lay back down with Glimmer's help, softly asking, ''What's going on?''

When she was okay, Bow asked her ''Adora, what's the last thing you remember?''

Adora looked even more confused ''You said we were going to the wastes, remember? After the whole Shadow Weaver fiasco when i came back from the Crystal Castle'' Bow and Glimmer's eyes widened. ''Adora, how old are you?'' Glimmer asked shakily. Adora raised her eyebrows ''Seventeen? We're all seventeen, we literally were planning your Eighteenth birthday together, why are you guys so confused''

''Adora...It's a long story, but I think you have amnesia'' Glimmer tried telling her in the most straightforward way possible, which backfired horribly. Adora looked beyond freaked out. ''H-how much did i forget?'' she tried to keep it together.

Both Bow and Glimmer didn't want to say. ''The past three years'' Entrapta interjected, It's been forever since then''. Adora looked even more freaked out. Everyone stared at her Catra was the first to speak. ''Don't say it straight to her face, she'll go crazy!''

Adora glared at her again ''And what's _she_ doing here?'' she pointed at Catra with a look of hate. Glimmer came towards Catra ''it's a long story, but, she's on our side now, she's saved our lives more times tan i can count'' She was doing her best to make Catra feel better, she looked as if she'd been slapped in the face. Adora scoffed ''And where are we?'' 

Bow tried talking now ''Well, we found this thing in the Waste when we actually went there. It's Mara's spaceship-'' 

''AND WE'RE IN SPACE'' Entrapta finished excitedly for him

''Space? What space? What about the Horde? The war?'' Adora became even more frantic.

''Look, we'll explain everything but right now you need to calm down, Glimmer and i will make lunch, Entrapta, see if you can get defense working and Catra, make sure she's okay'' Bow decided to take up the position of leader while Adora was in her condition.

Catra gave them a look of horror ''You can't be serious, she thinks i'm the enemy! I'm the last person who should be around her!''

Adora stared at her, for a second, her angry persona faltered. She wanted Catra there, she wanted to know what happened. She'd wanted Catra back so badly and this seemed like her only chance, she tried to keep up hr image though. ''You can stay'' she said indifferently.

She kept her eyes on Catra, who sat down in the chair. The others walked out and got to work, leaving them alone


	3. Attack of the Clones

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adora and Catra are stuck in a room together as Prime Clones attempt to invade the ship. The Alliance fights them off as they figure out what exactly they're here for

Both Catra and Adora sat in silence as the humming of air circulating in the ship played in their heads. Neither looked at the other. Catr's hand had inched closer t hers, but she moved it away each time, unwilling to be close to the person who had been fighting her for the past year and a half.

''Can i get you anything? food? Water?'' Catra tried to initiate as Adora glared daggers at her.

''I don't know, maybe my sword?'' Adora replied sarcastically as if it was a stupid question, her tone made Catra's heart ache with how cold it was.

She scratched the back of her head ''It's a long story but, the Sword is gone, it's been...'' she trailed off, unwilling to say the rest lest it scare Adora more

''Oh, how convenient'' Adora remarked ''My sword magically happens to be gone the time i'm stuck in a room with you, amnesia, and a head wound'' She did have a point, this was all way too convenient, Catra tried getting through to her.

''If i had the sword, i'd give it to you, we're on the same side, Adora'' She tried to convince

''Yeah, sure'' Adora rolled her eyes, visibly not trusting her ''So what happened to my sword exactly?''

Catra looked away, she didn't know how to explain this ''Long story short, the First ones were using you and you had to break it to save Etheria'' She always believed being straightforward was the best way to go with this kind of stuff. It was better for Adora to learn things now rather than a harder way. To her surprise, Adora seemed unfazed

''That's the best you can come up with?'' she scoffed ''Of all the things, you expect me to think I managed to break a Runestone? MY Runestone?'' She suddenly got off her bed ''Tell me where it is, Catra, i'll get it myself''

Catra froze as Adora got up ''Adora, lay back down, you'll get hurt'' she tried to order, but Adora had none of it

''Do you really just expect me to be fine with all this? You've literally tried to kill me for ages, you went as far as to infect me with that disc, and now you're telling me what to do? Catra, just tell the truth''

Catra tried to calm herself no matter how much each word struck her heart. ''I'll explain everything, but you need to lay down first''

''Nice try'' Adora retaliated, ''I'm not going anywhere until you explain'' Catra sighed, she needed to be strong here, even if Adora was mad at her, she needed her, she needed someone to explain things. 

''Ok, but you have to promise to relax after'' Adora nodded as she continued glaring.

''Look, the sword was broken a few months after you came back from the Waste-'' Adora cut her off

''And She Ra? If the sword is really gone, where's She Ra?'' 

''You can still transform!'' Catra tried to make sure she remained calm ''You just have to do this magic thing and then the sword shows up, and then you transform''

Adora almost laughed at the idea ''So you're telling me, the only way i can save myself from whatever you're planning is a 'weird magic thing'?'' Her accusatory tone sent shivers down Catra's spine. ''And how do i do that? like you'd tell me'' 

Catra sighed again ''Ok, I'm not good with this magic stuff, but i can show you how you did it, you just have to relax after''

Adora looked almost surprised. She sounded genuine, like she really wanted to help she wondered when Catra was going to explain her evil plan, or gloat on her victory, but nothing came. She slowly reached her arm out, mimicking the position Adora made when the sword materialized. ''So you put your hand out like this'' Adora glared at her once more before following suit, this did oddly feel right, but she still had to keep her guard up.

''Okay, now you close your eyes and imagine the sword in front of you, then you concentrate really hard and say the words and it shows up'' Catra tried to explain quickly, she really wanted to help Adora, but she had no idea what she was doing.

''That's it?'' Adora's eyebrows furrowed, she knew she couldn't trust Catra, but none of this would harm her if she gave it a shot. Catra nodded quietly. ''Fine'' Adora grunted, as she positioned herself to make the sword.

Her eyes closed as she imagined the familiar feeling of the Sword of Protection in her hands. She concentrated as hard as possible, if she could just become She Ra, at least one thing would be the same at least she could still rely on her power if need be. Her head suddenly started throbbing, her wound clearly acting up from the strain she was putting on herself. She squinted her eyes open, there was a faint glow coming from her hand, she could see bits of the sword materializing. Suddenly, she went blank, the glow disappeared, her head went light, her entire body was screaming in agony as the pain became too much. Her legs gave out as she fell to the cold hard metallic ground, bracing for impact.

Catra didn't know what more she could do, she just watched as Adora slowly managed to summon her sword, hoping that this would bring back some kind of trust for her. She went cold as she heard Adora grunt, the pain clearly having an effect on her, she couldn't say anything before Adora's legs gave out as she fell back. She instinctively ran towards the girl and caught her in her arms before she hit the ground slowly lowering her down.

Adora caught her breath, wondering why she hadn't hit the ground, her eyes widened as she saw Catra above her. 

''You okay?'' Catra asked softly, not letting Adora out of her gentle grip.

''Never better'' Adora answered through gritted teeth. She tried to shuffle away from Catra but was in too much pain to do so. 

''Don't worry, we can try again once you're better, you almost got it before'' Catra kept trying to be positive, Adora closed her eyes, unwilling to face her again. She gasped as she felt Catra effortlessly lift her up. She instinctively placed her arms around her neck, scared of falling. Catra gently placed her on the bed and she let go as soon as possible, the cool air of the ship making her shiver. 

Catra quickly grabbed a blanket and pulled it over her, it was like she was being tucked in. She wanted to protest but opted to give in to the relaxation she was feeling. She felt Catra adjust the bed into a more comfortable angle. Her body was completely sore but she felt way better now.

Catra took out her ponytail and let her ruffle her hair, relaxing more as the strain on her head calmed down. ''I'll tell you when food is done, just rest for now'' She looked away again now that Adora was fine.

Adora didn't understand why she was doing this. If she were a Horde prisoner, Catra would've started gloating by now, she felt something from Catra she thought she'd never feel again. She felt love, and she didn't know how to understand it. She didn't have to go out of her way to do this, she helped her try to become She Ra, she was there to catch her when she fell, she tucked her into bed and made her feel as comfortable as possible. Even now, she was doing her best to take care of her. Her claws were sheathed, her touch was completely gentle, it was something Adora had wanted back for so long, but she didn't know how to accept it being back.

''Why are you being so nice to me?'' she asked out loud. She immediately regretted it, she didn't mean for it to sound that way. Catra seemed unfazed though, she turned around and opened her mouth, about to answer when Bow burst into the room. 

''Catra, we have a problem'' He quickly told her as Entrapta entered

''The defense fell and a few Prime clones have infiltrated the ship'' she yelled, Bow's eyes widened more.

''Listen, Catra, this faction isn't like the others, they're after something, _someone_ and they aren't gonna stop until they get revenge''

''Bow...what's going on?'' Adora tried sitting up and asking, but she decided to lay back down.

''It'll be fine, keep resting'' Catra told her before taking Bow aside ''Who are they after?''

Bow gulped ''I fought one, he said they wanted She Ra, they want to use her for something, i don't know if they just want revenge, but they're after her'' Catra's blood ran cold, she backed away as she heard it. The clones were after Adora, they were after her and she didn't have the strength to fight them. 

''Get the Alliance, weed them out and keep them at bay. Entrapta, power up Darla as soon as possible, we have to take off and stay in space for awhile, we can come back here later'' Bow nodded to her

''Fine, but you need to stay as close to Adora as possible, they can't get their hands on her''

Catra nodded back as she went to sit next to Adora. The two left as she heard the familiar noise of the alliance coming through the teleporter.

''Catra, what's happening?'' Adora asked as soon as she sat back down. Her ears were perked up, her eyes were full of the same fury that she'd display in battle. She was on high alert, listening for anyone who'd show up. Adora wasn't going to sit back and let this go on. She grabbed on to Catra's wrist.

''What's going on? What are Prime clones? Why are we taking off? What's with all the noise?'' She demanded an answer. Catra turned to her.

''Basically, you killed an evil Horde dude and now his people are after you. The princess alliance are dealing with them until Entrapta can get us somewhere safe'' She rambled quickly as Adora took in the information

''Wait, _you're_ fighting the Horde? With the Alliance?'' The idea itself had been festering in Adora's mind, but she never let herself believe it until it was spoken out loud.

''WILDCAT!'' Scorpia yelled as she rushed in. Adora's eyes widened at seeing her.

''She's on our side'' Catra quickly explained ''Scorpia, she's got amnesia, she doesn't remember much, try not to freak her out'' 

''Oh, right hi Adora, you probably don't remember but i'm here to help'' She tried to help as Adora stared at her, confused ''Anyway, Catra, the ship is overrun, Perfuma, Frosta and i are handling it but you guys need to be careful, stay in here and don't move, Entrapta told me to tell you she's putting Darla on lockdown''

''Got it'' Cantra answered as Scorpia dashed out

''So who else is on our side?'' Adora asked curiously. Catra didn't answer as the Darla's doors and windows shut with nothing happening.

''Look, whatever happens, i need you to stay here and trust me'' Catra told her as she finally faced her. Adora got offended again

''Trust you? There's no way you expect me to trust you'' She felt angry and frustrated about being kept in the dark, and she decided she'd let it out on this. How could Catra possibly think there was any trust left between them? She wanted to fix things, but this was all going too fast. ''After everything you've done? After everyone you've hurt? You're just magically on our side? I don't know what happened back there but i DON'T trust you'' From her perspective, they'd been enemies for ages now, she couldn't let go of all that stuff in a few hours. 

Catra gasped and turned around, the words finally having an effect on her heart. She tried to hide the tears, but it didn't work. Adora suddenly felt regret as she saw her eyes. She'd gone too far, she'd said too much ''Catra...I-'' She suddenly heard multiple thuds, the metal of the ship clanging around her. Catra froze up again, they'd locked all the doors but the vents...

Multiple Prime clones jumped into the room, surrounding the two. ''WE FOUND HER, BROTHERS'' one yelled, alerting the rest of the clones to their presence. They closed in around the bed, cornering the two.

Adora could barely move, she tried to get up and fight, but the pain was unbearable now. One clone slowly walked towards her. Catra's claws were unseathed, she looked feral, the same strength she displayed in battle coming alive. ''STAY AWAY FROM HER'' she yelled, hitting the clone in the back of the neck with her staff. 

Adora could only watch as the fight broke out, Catra taking on at least ten clones at once. She tried to call for help, or fight or do something, but a clone grabbed onto her before she could take any action. Catra's focus was on one particular clone ''What do you want from her?'' She questioned as she aimed her staff at him.

''Isn't it obvious?'' A clone laughed ''Little sister, why must you be so foolish? She is the killer of our Lord Prime, and she must suffer the consequences. She is a being of pure magic, she will return to us our leader. Lord Prime shall rise again! He who brings the day and the nigh-'' Catra hit him directly in the face, knocking him out completely.

''You're not taking her'' she glared as he fell to the ground. She froze as she heard Adora struggling. Her eyes widened as she saw one of them pin Adora to the ground.

''Prime will be pleased to know we overpowered She Ra so easily'' The clone laughed as Adora tried to struggle out of his hold. The other clones quickly advanced on them, making sure she stayed down. One moved her hair aside and tore away the collar of her jacket, revealing the back of her neck. Catra tried to break through the group but multiple clones swarmed on her from behind. She had a clear view of Adora's face as the clones attacked her. 

''Prime casts out all shadows'' A clone laughed as he presented a chip to the rest of them. ''What are you doing?'' Adora asked fearfully as she tried to move

''You will now be welcomed into the flock of Horde Prime'' a clone said gleefully ''You will now be under the control of Prime, bent to his will, forced to use your magic to return his-'' Catra batted each of them away effortlessly, reaching Adora in the fastest time possible.

''Let. Her. Go'' She growled through gritted teeth. 

''Oh little sister, you should be thankful, her experience will not be as painful as yours'' He sent an electric shock to Adora, the same one that came from Prime's pool, he was weakening her, breaking her down until he could attach the chip. She cried out as she felt the shock go through her, her head filling like it'd split apart from her wound. The clone was about to press the chip to the back of her neck, but he was a second too late.

Catra let out a feral screech as she saw the shock go through Adora. She overpowered every clone in the room. She didn't leave Adora's side, not for a second. Adora slightly tilted her head to look up as Catra shielded her from any further damage. 

Scorpia, Perfuma, and Frosta came barreling in as soon as the door opened again ''We came as soon as we could!'' Frosta yelled as she readied a battle stance. 

''Get them outta here!'' Catra ordered them as she turned her eyes on Adora ''Get everyone together, we have to leave, NOW'' 

The three nodded as they picked up the clones. Perfuma carrying them away with plans, Frosta with Ice and Scorpia just throwing them out with brute strength. Catra's commanding demeanor disappeared as she heard Adora grunt again.

She quickly gathered her into her arms, holding her close as the trauma weighed in. ''Shhh, it's okay, i promise you're okay'' Catra tried to soothe her as she breathed heavily. ''Catra?'' Adora asked as soon as she caught her breath. She'd never seen her like this before, keeping her in a protective hold, making sure they stayed close together, comforting her after that kind of experience.

''It's okay, you're safe, you're safe'' She seemed to be talking to herself more than she was talking to Adora.

''That's the last of em' '' Scorpia told her as she walked out ''We're gong back into lockdown mode, but we'll make sure the vents aren't breached again, make sure Adora's okay''

As soon as they were gone, Catra held her so closely it hurt. She knew what they wanted. they were trying to chip her, to put her through the same hell Catra had lived, and she'd almost let it happen she'd almost let them take her away. She pulled away to get a good look at Adora's face. She seemed traumatized and fearful, yet also confused.

''Don't worry, we're safe right now, i promise i'll explain everything but you need to rest'' She lifted her up again, this time Adora couldn't move enough to hold on to her too, she still felt unsure, but the feeling of Catra against her was warm and comforting, she missed that feeling. Catra lay her down again, swiftly tucking her in. 

Adora noticed a bloody scratch on her arm. ''Catra, you're bleeding'' she grabbed her hand for the first time since she got up, evidently finally wanting to keep Catra close to her.

''It's fine'' Catra answered ''You're the one who nearly got chipped, you sure you're okay?'' She held Adora's hand too. She seemed unconvinced as she eyed the wound. ''Don't worry about me, i'll be fine in awhile, right now, you have to rest''

Adora slightly squeezed her hand ''Thank you, Catra'' She finally smiled at her, welcoming her back into her life. The two stayed like that as the battle outside raged on

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry i haven't updated in awhile, I've been busy with online school and other stories and it took some time to flesh everything out. Thanks for reading!


	4. Going Home

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Catra gets a chance to think on her and Adora's relationship as The Squad plans out what to do next

Catra could hear the sounds of the princesses retreating back into the ship. They'd managed to protect Darla from any further attack while Entrapta tried to get them to take off. They all must be regrouping like they always do, talking and tending to each other's wounds. She could see each of them, every time, they were always with their significant others, even Bow and Glimmer. She didn't know how to feel, maybe it was envy, maybe it was fear, she wanted to be like that with Adora too, but she didn't ever understand how. She absentmindedly held Adora's hand for support.

She could feel the unease Adora was in just by the way she held her hand. She was confused, tired and scared, Catra could always tell when she was scared, maybe it was the tone of her voice, the grip she had on her hand or the expression on her face, but Catra could tell she was terrified. 

She couldn't blame her, she was scared too. For the first time in months, her trauma from her time on Prime's ship had kicked in. She remembered watching as Adora was pinned down by the clones as one of the them sent a powerful shock through her, working to subdue her and take her away. Most of all, she remembered the chip, something she was desperate to forget, she could see how Adora's eyes widened when they brought it out, it reminded her of how she felt when Prime attached it to her.

It was like they were taunting Catra, bringing as much pain to her as possible by trying to take the love of her life. Catra looked down at her again, she wasn't in the deepest sleep, it was only a matter of time before the sleep-fighting started off. Still, she brushed the hair off Adora's face, reminding herself that she was okay, that she was safe, that no harm would come to her as long as Catra was around. It was at times like these, that she wished to hold Adora as closely as possible, to take care of her and protect her to the best of her ability. To make sure no monster like Prime ever came close to her again.

On all their adventures, they'd won difficult battles, but it never got this bad, it never got to the point where Adora was this badly hurt. She wanted to go back to that, to the easy yet adventurous lifestyle that she loved, she had to remind herself that this was a part of it, and that at these times, she had to be strong for Adora. She looked down as Adora groaned in her sleep.

''...Catra...'' her voice was full of fear, she sounded like she was going to cry. Without a second thought, Catra maneuvered herself to lay down with her, so that her head was resting on Adora's shoulder, her arms wrapped around her middle.

''It's okay, Princess, I've got you...I've got you''.

Adora relaxed in her sleep, Catra was left to contemplate their relationship more

* * *

_It was the night after the defeat of Prime. The Princesses were all battered and wounded, yet relieved at being united once more. Catra had helped take Adora to one of the remote areas of the hideout, where she could rest with no disturbance. She fell asleep immediately and Catra decided to check on the others during the festivities._

_She stayed with Scorpia the most, almost following around the way she did back in the Fright Zone, apologizing over and over again. At one point, Scorpia sang for them all and Catra was painfully reminded of how she'd treated her when she tried singing before._

_She told Scorpia her singing was beautiful, a sentence that made her tear up. ''ya really think so, Wildcat?''_

_Catra nodded before Scorpia pulled her into a hug, she returned it before finally letting go and allowing Perfuma to go hang out with her._

_The festivities continued into the night, but she was happy with the progress she made and decided to leave. She needed time, to hide, to think, to wonder what would happen now. She didn't want to disturb Adora or anyone else, they needed their rest._

_And so she retreated to the cliff above the hideout, finally letting the days events weigh in on her. She thought about how Prime was gone, about how Shadow Weaver had sacrificed herself, about how she had finally told Adora how she felt._

_She found herself crying silently, she didn't know if it was her uncertainty, her relief, or her grief, but the tears began to fall faster and faster. There was an overwhelming pressure on her chest as questions swiveled around in her head. What of Prime came back? What if Shadow Weaver was going to hurt them again? What if the rebellion wanted her gone? Did Adora really want her, or was it all just a figment of her imagination?_

_It wasn't long before the cold caught up to her. she began shivering as the powerful winds of the whispering woods pierced her skin. She really should've found a better place to climb up to, Her ears flattened as her fur stood on end, she didn't want to go back down yet, she could take the cold._

_''Catra! I thought i'd find you up here'' Catra turned around to see Adora facing her. There were bags under her eyes and her movements were sluggish ,she clutched a blanket to herself as she walked towards Catra._

_''You really should've brought something with you, you're freezing'' Adora told her as she wrapped the blanket around her. Catra wanted to push her off, but she also wanted to give in to the warmth she was feeling. She didn't know if it was the blanket itself or Adora taking care of her, but she enjoyed the feeling. She snapped back to reality as she saw Adora shudder herself, the cold hitting her too._

_''What are you doing awake? You should be resting'' Catra asked her quietly as she looked back at the horizon._

_''I couldn't sleep, after everything that happened, i just woke up and i...i had to find you'' Adora tried to explain as she sat down next to her._

_''You should go back to sleep.Y'know i can take care of myself, right?'' she reminded her, she didn't want to have to go through this again_

_Adora nodded ''I know, i just wanted to make sure it was...real''_

_The answer seemed to surprise Catra. Adora was usually so sure of herself, she always had a plan and knew what she was doing. So why was she sneaking onto a cliff after almost dying to make sure **this** was real? She looked at Adora again to see her shivering from the cold._

_''Okay, fine, come here'' Catra opened up her blanket and invited Adora in knowing she probably wasn't going back anytime soon._

_Adora happily obliged and wrapped her arms around Catra, snuggling up to her under the blanket. Catra rested her head on Adora's chest, just underneath her chin, Adora brought her hand up to scratch her behind the ears, just the way she liked. They stayed like that, holding each other closely and taking in the other's presence. It was a few minutes before Adora broke the silence._

_''Do you wanna talk about it?''_

_Catra froze for a second, she didn't know if she could bring herself to even mention it again ''I don't know'' she whispered back. The peaceful feeling had worn off now, she was starting to feel cold again, the thoughts pierced their way back into her mind. Adora seemed to realize what she was feeling in an instant, she pulled Catra closer as if to assure her she was safe._

_''I don't know how to feel anymore'' Adora confessed, Catra pulled away to look her in the eye, she could see the same grief in her eyes._

_''Neither do i'' she answered solemnly._

_''She can't hurt us anymore, she can't hurt **you** , but she...why did she do it?'' Adora started to tear up a little. For someone who'd hated Shadow Weaver for so long, she couldn't imagine what a world devoid of her mother figure would be like. _

_''It's okay, Adora, i've got you, you've got me, we're safe now we can...'' She trailed off, unable to finish the sentence. **We can be together.** But what did that even mean? Would they make it? How could they survive like that in a world that drove them apart for so long?_

_''Do you think that's what she wanted?'' Adora asked ''Do you think she cared?''_

_''I don't know, Adora'' Catra whimpered, her grief weighing in on her. It wasn't long before she started to cry too, they were safe, they were finally free, but she was gone, and she was never coming back._

_''What are we gonna do now?'' Adora asked sadly ''I don't know what to do Catra, i don't know how to feel, i don't know where we'll go from here''_

_''Do you want me to say it again?'' Catra asked as she felt the unease rise in Adora's tone. Adora looked down at her and nodded. ''I love you''_

_''I love you too'' she answered, the words came easily to her' 'i love you so much''_

_''I guess that's one thing we have sorted out'' Catra chuckled, causing Adora to laugh for the first time in ages._

_She relaxed as she lay back against a rock, Catra still in her arms and the blanket still pulled over them. ''If you want, we can just...not tell people, like we used to back then'' The idea caused Catra to look up at her again._

_''What, you scared to tell everyone you're with the scrappy ex-force captain?'' She tried to keep the mood light but pain still seeped into her mind at the idea that Adora was ashamed of her._

_''Nope, if it were up to me, i'd tell the whole world how much i love you'' She reassured, and Catra felt warm again ''But, it's gonna be hard, and if you don't want that, we can keep it between us until we're ready''_

_Catra got up to level her face with Adora. ''I think i'd like that'' she answered before pulling her into a kiss._

* * *

Catra smiled at the memory, she never remembered feeling so happy in her entire life. Since then, she and Adora had been on secret dates, kissed multiple times, and basically lived together whenever they were in Bright Moon, and still, Catra felt afraid to talk about their relationship.

She didn't exactly know why she was so scared, maybe it was the reaction that would follow? Who would want to see the legendary She Ra choose someone like her? Maybe it was because she was used to hiding her feelings and she hated the idea of showing them like that? Maybe, it was because in the darkest corners of her mind, she feared Shadow Weaver would come back to drive them apart if she knew.

Whatever the case was, it made her envy everyone around her. They always showed their feelings, put them on complete display for everyone to see and deal with. Meanwhile she was tenatively holding Adora's hand under the table. She knew Adora loved her all the same, but she wished to have that kind of ease the others had when showing their relationship to the world. And now, even Adora didn't know about their relationship in her state

Adora stirred under the blanket again, quickly opening her eyes as if something terrifying had woken her up. She paused as she looked at Catra.

''how long was i out?'' she asked as she immediately let go of Catra's hand

Catra tried to act natural no matter how much it hurt ''Around three hours, the princesses are in the other room right now, the battle's over and Entrapta's gonna get us out of here soon'' she tried to be as useful as possible here, still trying to win Adora's trust.

Adora looked at her, contemplating a reply, but she was cut off as the door opened again.

''Food is ready- CATRA!'' Glimmer yelled the moment she entered the room. ''what happened to you?'' she asked frantically as she set the tray of food down and took Catra's still bleeding arm.

''I could ask you the same thing, Sparkles, you look terrible'' She answered back with a snide remark, eyeing a massive scratch on Glimmer's ankle. Glimmer scoffed at her

''Hold on, let me get the first aid kit'' She limped over to the shelves to look for it.

Adora watched in awe as her two best friends got along as if they knew each other forever.

''Sparkles, it's not that big of a deal, are you and Arrow Boy okay?'' Catra asked as Glimmer rummaged through the different crates in the corner of the room

''We're fine, but one of the clones got Bow pretty bad, but he's already being taken care of, is Adora okay?'' Glimmer faced her as she finally found the kit

''Never better'' Adora answered sarcastically.

''Watch it, Sparkles!'' Catra flinched as Glimmer began to clean the wound

''Well maybe if you'd just take care of yourself for once, i wouldn't have to help you!'' Glimmer shot back as she brought out the bandages

''It's not like you and Arrow Boy take care of yourselves either'' Catra remarked. If Glimmer heard the comment, she ignored it and finished the bandaging.

''There, feel better?'' She teased

''Better'' Catra sighed ''Okay, fine sit down, let me help you too''

Glimmer sat on Adora's bed and lifted her leg, allowing Catra to get a better look at it ''So, i heard you and Adora got swarmed by clones''

''We didn't get swarmed!'' Catra seemed offended ''they just, tried something different this time''

''What did they do?'' Glimmer asked before wincing from Catra bandaging her wound.

''They got these weird 'chip' things, i think that's what Catra called them'' Adora told her, she usually briefed them on this kind of stuff, it was so weird to see Catra being the one to do that now

''Wait...they tried to chip her?'' Glimmer's mood seemed to change in an instant, Catra nodded solemnly. Glimmer knew better then anyone how difficult it was for Catra to stomach such a thing. They'd both had severe trauma from their time on Prime's ship. Even today, the memory scared her, Catra must be feeling it much worse since she was the one who actually got chipped.

''Catra'' Glimmer stood up ''you and Adora have to get to Bright Moon, she'll be safe there and we can call a healer from Mystacor for her memories. We'll handle this faction and get us into space, you guys can come back then''

''You sure you guys'll be okay? What if you need help with the ship?'' Catra was open to the idea, but she still knew she was needed here

''We're one teleport away, and this is for the best, something tells me this is gonna be harder than the other planets'' Glimmer reasoned

''I know, but-''

''Hey, you guys mind asking me? Y'know, the person you're talking about?'' Adora tried to control her frustration at the two but it kept building up. They kept telling her it was a 'long story' and that she had to 'trust them' but she was no closer to answers than she was before. This whole thing seemed like a repeat of her previous situation, and she was tired of it. It was all so new and unusual and she didn't feel like she could make up her mind on it. It was like everytime she tried to think or dwell on something, there would be some other problem that she'd pay attention to instead. 

''Adora, in your condition, we can't let you become a target for the clones, at least not until you remember everything, Catra will explain it all but you need to leave'' This new Glimmer had way more of a commanding demeanor than the one Adora knew

Catra sighed, ''Can you stand up? It's only a short walk to the teleporter room and then we'll be back at Bright Moon''

Adora grunted as she got up, shakily making her way out of the room

The room was beautiful, there was a soft blue glow contrasting with the vibrant purple from Glimmer's spell. The magic itself brought life and light into the it. Specs of gold magic flew around the area Adora was hypnotized by them.

''They're from Etheria'' Catra told her ''The planet's magic has been growing stronger and it comes in and out through the teleporter''

Adora was about to smile at Catra before remembering she was supposed to still be mad at her, she tried to answer with a snide remark ''Thanks for the tour-AHH'' her legs gave out again Catra quickly caught her before she fell

''Don't mention it'' she teased as she hauled Adora up, helping her walk ''Come on, your room's only a few steps away''

Adora's confusion continued as Catra held most of her weight and helped her walk into the teleporter, her arm over Catra's shoulders and Catra's arm wrapped around her. The feeling of Catra holding her up and walking into a bright light gave her an odd sense of Deja Vu, had this happened before?


	5. Falling in love with you (all over again)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Catra decides to take Adora to a festival in Bright Moon in order to make her feel better about the entire situation. Adora is constantly burdened by this weird feeling that won't leave her alone when she's around Catra

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> They always say there's fluff before the angst....

Catra didn't say a word to Adora as she dragged her into the room. Her arm was already feeling like it was on fire from the added pressure on it, but she committed to not complaining, she wasn't going to add any more pressure on Adora right now, not in her state.

Catra winced as she sat Adora down on her bed, relief flooding her as the pain subsided, Adora didn't bother making eye contact with her, instead staring at the many pictures that decorated her walls. Most of them were of her the Best Friend Squad together, she was assuming Catra was a part of it. In some they were wearing formal wear, in others they were wearing space suits, in some, they just looked like they were casually hanging out.

''Remembering anything?'' Catra asked as she followed Adora's gaze to the pictures

Adora grumbled ''no'' she was still turned away from Catra, unwilling to meet her eyes. She knew time had passed, she knew things had changed, she knew Catra being by her side like this was something she'd wanted for years, but her anger still seeped in, she couldn't let go of it all in a mere day. 

Catra sighed ''You get settled in, i'm gonna get you some food from the kitchens'' She needed a break to collect herself, she sighed as she closed the door, leaving Adora in the dark room.

Adora sighed in relief as Catra finally left the room. She needed some time alone. This whole thing felt like way too much. Just yesterday, she was preparing to go to the Waste and find the answers she needed and now she felt more out of the loop then ever. From her point of view, everything had gone upside down now, her life, her friendships, her world , even her room wasn't the same and no one bothered to explain. 

And then there was Catra.

Adora didn't know how to feel about her anymore. She'd wanted her back for so long and to see her being a part of her life and her friends lives warmed her heart so much. But for the first time, she felt like she had to deal with her own anger towards the girl. She was always so focused on everyone else, how they would all react if Catra hypothetically joined them, that she never considered how she would feel. And now, it was like everyone in the rebellion, except her was accepting of Catra, and as much as she wanted to be too, she still felt mad at her. 

Catra didn't make it any easier for her, she was kind, warm, caring, loving, she was all the things Adora knew and wished she could be, but at the same time, she didn't like the sudden change. She wanted to talk to her and yet she didn't, she wanted to be the most supportive person in the world to her, but her anger was getting the best of her. She wished her memories would just come back to her already, maybe then she could finally get some answers.

She sighed as she looked back at the pictures, they were her only concrete look into the past, what could've happened back there that made her life the way it was?  
  
  
''Here, i brought you some buttercream cupcakes, i know they're your favorite'' Catra told her as she walked into the room, setting the tray of food down, they smelled amazing.

''Thanks, wait how did you-'' 

''You made me try them first thing when we made it to Bright Moon'' Catra answered quickly as Adora pulled an even more confused face, she didn't think she could ever get used to this. She turned away from Catra, unwilling to look at her hopeful smile, she felt a hand on her shoulder.

''Do you, maybe wanna talk about it?'' Catra asked tentatively, earning another 'hmph' from Adora ''It's fine if you don't...I know it must be hard, but, you can always talk to me, okay?'' she added

Adora begrudgingly took a cupcake as Catra tried to initiate. ''So, i talked to Bow again, he said the healer will have to show up tomorrow, but, we can remove your bandages''

''Great, i get to spend another day being cooped up and babysat by you'' Adora commented snidely

''Well we can't have you getting hurt again or attacked by another clone, now can we?'' Catra shot back as she brought some water along with a cloth ''Can I...'' she paused as she awaited Adora's answer

''Go ahead'' she answered, turning around.

Catra gently moved her hair aside and began undoing the bandages ''Y'know, i might have an idea'' She slowly peeled the bandages off, allowing them to come undone and piling them on the side table. Adora hissed at the lingering pain. 

''What's the idea?'' she asked through clenched teeth.

Catra dipped the cloth in water and dabbed it on the back of her head, cleaning off the area the bandages had previously covered ''Well, if you don't wanna be cooped up, we can go to the festival, there's one in Bright Moon right now, we could go out and be back before you know it''

Adora considered the idea, then sighed ''You're forgetting that i'm She Ra, if i go out in Bright Moon, everyone's gonna recognize me and we won't catch a break, and besides, if Glimmer and Bow get to know, they'll never let me hear the end of it''

''I already thought of that'' Catra told her smugly. She fluffed the pillows behind Adora, and lay her down on them. ''Just stay here for a second, i'm gonna go get something'' She covered Adora with a blanket before dashing into her bathroom

Adora ran her fingers over the back of her head where Catra had removed her bandages. Despite her anger, she almost liked the feeling of Catra's hands gently taking off her bandages and making her feel better. Her heart began to flutter at the thought, she pushed it down, why was she suddenly feeling like this?

Catra ran in and tossed an assortment of outfits at her ''Okay, pick some stuff out, we can go in these''

Adora picked up a dark red hooded cloak ''Where did you even-''

''We've done this before'' Catra told her as she pulled a brown trench coat over herself ''Now we can go to the festival looking just like random Etherians''

Adora followed suit, putting on red overalls and finishing with a the cloak, she pulled the hood over her head and turned around to face Catra. Her heart seemed to do a backflip, she could feel blood rush to her cheeks, she didn't know why she'd noticed this now but she found Catra _beautiful_ . She always thought she was pretty back when they were in the Horde but she's never felt like this about her before. She facepalmed, she'd known Catra her whole life and up until yesterday, she barely had any faith in reconciling with her, and when she finally does, her own brain won't give her a break.

''Do i have something on my face?'' Catra smirked as she placed a scarlet hat on her head, her ears playfully sticking out. Adora quickly shook her head again

''Uh, yeah, but how are we gonna get out of here?'' She asked, trying to contain her blush

''Follow me'' Catra grabbed her hand and pulled her along.

* * *

Catra could see the sky slowly turning less and less dark, she guessed it must be around 6:00 am 

''Catra! What the- Where are we going?!'' Adora yelled as they passed multiple windows. Catra paused as she heard footsteps approach

''Shhhh, Guards'' She mouthed to Adora before ducking behind a tapestry

The two of them heard the guards arguing about a noise coming from the area. Catra giggled as one scolded the other on 'being paranoid' and 'wasting time'

''Psst, come on'' Catra quietly told Adora before once more grabbing her hand. 

She finally found one of the storage closets and quickly pulled herself and Adora in before any more guards came. She locked the door and started to catch her breath

Adora made eye contact with her for a second before bursting into laughter, they hadn't had this much fun since they were kids. The two of them sunk to the floor, breaking out into more laughing fits every once in awhile.

''Glad to see you're already having fun'' Catra playfully elbowed her

''So why are we stuck in a closet anyway?'' she asked once she calmed down.

''Well, i figured out a few things about the castle while i was helping with rebuilding here'' Catra bragged

''Wait, we had to rebuild? What-''

''Eh, long story, you'll know when you get your memories back tomorrow'' 

Adora would've questioned her further but decided not to in favor of listening to her other story.

''Long story short, i found this thing while you, Bow and Glimmer were in the ballroom and decided to check it out'' She moved the crates aside to reveal a secret passageway. ''Leads straight to the outskirts of Brightmoon's town, right where the festival is happening'' Adora stared into the dark passageway, she could barely see down there

''After you, Princess'' Catra pointed her in and Adora froze up, a million scenarios rushing through her head. She wasn't on her guard anymore, she didn't even know how she fell out of it. She was about to willingly enter a dark passageway with _Catra?_ she knew she had to give her a chance, after all, she'd saved her from those clone things yesterday but was this a good idea?

Catra waved her hand in front of her face ''hellloooo, Etheria to Adora? You okay?'' 

Adora shook her head again ''yeah, yeah i just, i mean, i thought it was a...'' _trap._ She trailed off, unwilling to say it.

''It's okay'' Catra placed a hand on her shoulder ''I know this must be hard for you, and you have every right to feel the way you do, i just wanted to show you a good time at the festival, but if you wanna head back, we can head back and stay in your room instead''

''No, no, it's just, i'm having an awesome time with you and I've missed you so much and i know i can't lose you again, but it just keeps going back into my head and i-it's like i don't know how to feel'' She was getting flustered at trying to make sure Catra isn't hurt, but also trying to voice her feelings.

Catra firmly grabbed onto her shoulders ''Hey, hey, calm down, it's okay, you're not gonna lose anyone right now, i'm here for you, okay?'' Adora looked into her eyes for a second before before pulling her into a hug, Catra rubbed circles on her back ''I really missed you too''

''The whole time?'' Adora sniffled, still unwilling to let her go

''The whole time'' Catra answered her easily.

By this point, they'd already sunk to the floor again, Adora pulled away to look into Catra's eyes, she smiled before that feeling came back and she quickly let go of her, crossing her arms and keeping her hands to herself. 

''So, you still wanna go out or...'' Catra asked as she picked up her hat and dusted it off

''Yeah, lets get out of here'' Adora smiled as she pulled her hood back over her head.

* * *

''How can you even see down here?'' Adora asked as she ducked her head under another rock.

''It's not that hard, you just don't have to be such a clutz'' Adora could tell she was grinning

''Hey! I am not a-AHH'' Adora tripped and fell directly on top of Catra. Her arms were on either side of her, she had her head against Catra's chest, she was so close she could listen to Catra's soft heartbeat. She quickly pushed herself up so Catra was pinned between her arms, this weird feeling wouldn't leave her alone.

''D'you mind?'' Catra raised an eyebrow while smirking, she could almost sense Adora going bright red.

''Sorry, sorry, are you okay?'' She asked in a high pitched voice which was almost alien to her

''Relax, i'm fine, geez, are you trying to get another concussion?'' she teased, but Adora was too flustered to notice. She grabbed her hand ''How 'bout we stick together from now on''

''y-yeah sure'' Adora stuttered, now thankful that the darkness covered her blush.

What was going on with her? She was getting flustered, stuttering, becoming clumsier and constantly blushing just because of the girl in front of her. Her stomach felt like it had butterflies in it as her heart threatened to explode, and she had no idea why. This was so weird, she needed to get a grip, she just wanted to be normal around Catra again, but now this feeling had latched itself onto her and she never knew if it'd come off.

''Ok, it's not that far from here, yup, we're out'' Catra told her as a light at the end of the tunnel came into view. From the looks of it, she guessed it was at the foot of the mountain the castle was built into, the entrance to the cave was concealed by a few boulders that lay in the path outside, making it difficult to spot. The two stumbled out and weaved between the rocks until they were at the outskirts of the town ''Welcome to the annual Bright Moon festival!'' Catra announced as Adora's mouth fell open.

The festival was like nothing she'd ever seen before. There were stalls of food scattered all over the area, several fun games for them to try out, shows and performances she was getting excited at the very idea of. And then, there was a giant wheel that was the height of one of the castles towers

''Entrapta actually helped work on that wheel thing'' Catra explained as Adora stared in awe ''It was supposed to be a human catapult for the Horde, but she decided it could make for a cool ride too''

''It's...awesome'' Adora was amazed at the amount of progress Entrapta had made in her research

''So, you wanna go for some games first?'' Catra elbowed her in order for her to come back into her senses

Adora looked at her bright smile and almost got flustered again, Catra seemed to notice and smugly remarked ''What? You scared i'll win more games then you?''

That seemed to snap Adora out of her trance ''As if! Race you there!'' she yelled before taking off to the closest game.

''HEY! You don't get to do that! I'M supposed to do that!'' Catra called after her as she ran, still holding her hat to her head to keep their disguises going

The two of them spent the entire day together, playing games, winning prizes, watching shows, it was the first time Adora felt free of her responsibilities, free of her burden, free to be herself.

She'd felt like this before, with Bow and Glimmer, but it was never to this extent. The closest she'd gotten to that feeling was with Catra back in the Fright Zone, and even then, the looming fear of running into Shadow Weaver still plagued the back of her mind. Today, she felt like she could live in the moment. No matter how bad things seemed to her, she could worry later.

Catra was with her the whole way, cracking jokes, competing in games and making sure Adora remembered to stay disguised. She was doing everything she could for Adora to have a good time. Seeing her now, it was scary to think they ever could've still been enemies, she had grown so much and gotten so much better and Adora loved being around her. The mistrust that had lingered in her heart was slowly disappearing and she felt less and less guilty for losing it. She couldn't put into words how much she'd missed this girl.

The only problem was, while the overwhelming pressure had subsided for some time, there was still this feeling constantly tugging at her heart and unwilling to let go. It was like every time she looked at Catra or held her hand or spoke to her, her entire body would feel light as air and yet heavy as a boulder. Her heart would start thumping wildly and she could feel herself sweating as blood rushed to her cheeks

''Hey Adora? Adora?'' Catra waved her hand over her face, causing Adora to look back up at her ''We should go get some food now, i'm starving, come on, i know a place''

Before she could respond, Catra had grabbed her hand and was dodging and weaving past the crowd inconspicuously, she had no idea where they were going, but now, Adora believed she could trust Catra with where she was taking her.

She led her to the town square, there were chairs and tables set outside the various buildings. She could see candles and roses on each table as different people started to occupy their seats. Waiters sauntered around the area, delivering food to all the guests as fairy lights above began to shine. The entire square seemed to be brought to life by the festival.

Catra pulled up a chair for her and ushered her to sit down before taking a seat herself. 

''Order?'' asked one of the waiters

''I'll have the flaming hot steak and she'll take the apple peach pie'' Catra said automatically

The waiter nodded before taking her order into one of the buildings. 

''You always have the peach pie when we come here so i figured i'd order it for you'' Catra explained before looking at Adora's face ''you okay?''

''Yeah'' Adora scratched the back of her head ''Just...Thanks for looking out for me Catra, you..didn't have to do this''

''Hey, you look out for me and i look out for you, remember? I'm glad you got to have fun today, you needed it'' Catra smiled at her as the waiter came back to place their food. Adora took a bite of the pie and was instantly amazed.

''Wow, this is really good!'' She exclaimed. Catra smiled at her as she began stuffing her face.

A few minutes passed when the musicians started to gather around the area, playing music at the edge of the square as multiple couples walked inside. Adora eyed them longingly, almost wanting to go to the dance floor herself. 

Catra followed her eyes to it and figured it out. She looked to one of the few game stalls she and Adora hadn't visited yet and got an idea. ''Hey, you up for one last game?''

The game was simple, throw a ball at the target and the closer you get to a bullseye, the better your prize is. This particular stall was giving away masquerade masks for free, they looked like some she'd seen in Elberon a while go. ''Bet i can hit more targets then you'' Catra smirked. 

''You're on'' Adora grinned, already grabbing her ammo

The two of them threw friendly insults and remarks at each other as both scored perfect shots. Maybe the regular citizens of Bright Moon would be bad at this, but both Catra and Adora had fired such shots like their life depended on it in the battlefield, doing it for a small game was simple, almost child's play for them. Once they'd both won, they were free to pick out a mask each, Catra grabbed a bright red one and another maroonish purple one.

''Hey! Did you just steal my mask?'' Adora called to her as they made their way back to the table.

Catra passed her the red mask and said ''Try it out''

She took off her hat and left it on her seat as she adjusted the purple mask onto her face, her catlike eyes shining through the holes. She turned to Adora, who was staring at the dance again.

''Hey Adora?'' She asked

''Hm?'' Adora responded, still mesmerized by all the couples

''May i have this dance?'' She held her hand out

Adora, jumped and quickly turned to her, how had Catra... ''Wait, you wanna go...''

Catra grinned ''Yup, i saw how you were looking at them, figured you'd wanna join in, we can put on these masks so no one recognizes us''

Adora was blushing again as she placed her hand in Catra's and their fingers intertwined, the feeling was so familiar yet so new. Catra placed her other hand on her waist and Adora, through only her training placed her own on Catra's shoulder. Before she knew it, they were in the middle of the square, dancing in perfect sync, yet she still couldn't shake that feeling from her heart.

They'd danced before, during Horde simulations and at Princess Prom, but never with such intimacy. They always had other things on their mind back then, like not messing up or figuring out evil plans (in her case a plan to kidnap her best friends) but this time, the only person Adora had her mind on was the girl in front of her. She and Catra separated for a second to spin around before she landed back in her arms, the feeling seemed to amplify at the contact.

Catra followed the moves to dip her. A motion which gave her a sense of deja vu, but this situation was completely different. She looked up into Catra's eyes, she could feel her face turning as red as her mask. Even behind that mask, Catra's glowing eyes still managed to captivate her. Within a second, Catra had pulled her back up, and resumed the same moves. That was, until the music changed

At this point,both Catra's hands were on Adora's shoulders, while Adora's were on her waist. One by one, around them, they saw the couples pull each other closer together for the slow dance, acting like there was no one else besides them in the world.

Catra looked to her and shrugged, Adora quietly nodded, already feeling breathless.

They pulled each other close, Catra's head moving to rest on her shoulder as they calmly moved around the dance floor. ''What is it, your first slow dance?'' Catra teased

''Might as well be'' Adora sighed _but one with you was worth the wait,_ she could feel Catra purring against her, before she knew it, her arms had shifted to circle Catra's back. She never wanted to let her go again.

The two danced until the music stopped and all the couples turned their eyes to the gigantic wheel on the other side of town. Catra and Adora separated to see what the fuss was about. Catra's eyes went wide as she looked at the sky, she suddenly let her go with a jump.

''Catra?'' Adora asked, a little shocked.

''Sorry, i just...I've got one more surprise planned for you but we need to be quick'' Catra explained as she ran back to get her hat.

''Ok, where are we going?'' Adora asked as she pulled her hood back over her head.

''Try to keep up'' Catra laughed as she ran straight down one of the roads

''HEY! I DON'T EVEN KNOW WHERE WE'RE GOING'' Adora yelled as she ran back. Catra was always faster and far more agile then her, and right now, she couldn't even transform into She Ra to keep up. Her cloak flowed behind her as she felt the wind against her face, she could see Catra's trench coat waving behind her as she held her hat to her head. 

it was at least five minutes before Catra finally stopped. Adora ended up crashing into her before she could slow down. 

''Why..are you...so..fast'' she panted, trying to catch her breath and pick herself back up

''perks of not being the world's slowest person'' Catra smirked ''Phew, we're actually on time''

Adora looked up to see that they were standing at the foot of that wheel contraption, she saw a man pull a lever at the bottom before seeing a thousand bright lights decorating it begin to glow in the dark.

''woahhhh'' Adora exhaled as she saw the thing light up the entire night.

''I knew you'd find it awesome'' Catra smiled ''Now come on, before the line shows up''

''Wait, where are we-'' Catra pushed her in as soon as the gate opened 

She cleared her throat before politely asking in a fake voice ''Two tickets, please''

The man handed her two tickets as she passed him a gold coin

The two climbed into the basket and Catra sat Adora down before sitting next to her

''Was the fake voice really necessary?'' Adora asked playfully

''Probably not, but it sounded more fun'' Catra mused, she could see more people approaching the line

''So what to we even do in these-AHH'' She yelped and gripped onto Catra when the thing started moving upwards, making way for the next basket to show up

''Hey, hey, you're okay, this thing doesn't put anyone in immediate danger, trust me'' She rubbed circles on Adora's back

''O-ok, i trust you'' Adora whispered, high pitched, her fear from the movement was long forgotten, but that feeling was still alive and well, she started to get extremely sweaty under her mask.

''We can take our masks off now, it's not like anyone's gonna be focused on us until we get back down'' She sighed as she took off her hat and mask ''besides it'll only make you see this surprise even clearer''

''What's this one gonna be?'' Adora asked as she took off her hood and mask, sighing in relief as the cool night air made the heat in her face back down

''Alotta stuff's changed in Etheria since...y'know'' Catra narrated as Adora nodded, listening intently ''and, you never really got to enjoy seeing them before so i figured i'd show them to you now''

''Show me what?'' Adora asked as she looked around their small basket

''Look up'' Catra smiled

_stars_

Stars, thousands upon thousands of shiny colorful dots decorated the sky. Bridging the gaps between the moons and glowing on the dark canvas that was Etheria's sky. Her eyes darted across the horizon as she looked at the various formations and patterns that created the language of the First Ones. She tried not to blink in order to take in the sight.

''Catra...they're beautiful'' she whispered before looking back at the girl, who was beaming at her

 _But they still aren't as beautiful as her_ she thought as her heart began to race

''I'm glad you like them, Princess'' She remarked, and the butterflies in Adora's stomach seemed to fly faster as she heard Catra call her by the familiar nickname.

Catra drooped her head down to rest on Adora's shoulder, her arm draped over her middle and her tail curling around her waist. Adora could feel her softly purring again as she looked up to admire the stars, oblivious to how Adora was looking at her

''thanks...again, Catra, i'm sorry for being such a pain earlier, i didn't-'' She wanted to apologize for how she'd treated Catra yesterday

''You don't have to apologize, of course you'd react that way after everything that happened'' She reminded her sadly

''No, No- I didn't mean to bring it up, i just wanted to tell you, i'm really glad you're here, i really missed you, Catra'' She poured her heart out as the felling amplified

Her eyes moved towards Catra's lips. Her hand gently landing on her shoulder. The world went slow as Catra looked up at her with those same, gorgeous eyes and teasing smile. Her gaze was so full of love. She was oblivious to anything else going on in the world, the noises from the festival now seeming far and distant to her. Her hand gently moved to the back of Catra's head, her fingers mingling with her soft hair. The feeling amplified as she felt her heart begin to beat out of her chest as her stomach filled with even more butterflies, a slightly tingly sensation overtook her body. She felt the heat rise into her cheeks again, but she didn't care this time. She wanted nothing more than to pull Catra in, to bridge the gap and allow their lips to meet.

And then she froze as she realized it, pulling her hand away at the very idea.

''Missed you too, dummy'' Catra responded to their previous conversation, which had long since faded from Adora's mind, she moved to lay back on Adora's shoulder and watch the stars, seemingly oblivious to what just happened

Adora gripped her knee to steady herself as the realization hit her

It all made sense

Her heart constantly racing,

the butterflies,

that tingling sensation,

the fact that she wanted to dance with her,

the fact the she wanted to _kiss_ her

The blushing,

the feeling that would occupy her entire mind when she looked into those mismatched eyes,

how she'd constantly get entranced by how beautiful she was.....

Adora had fallen _in love_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had a TON of fun writing this entire chapter. I really enjoyed the idea of Adora falling in love with Catra without knowing they're actually together and without the fate of the world on her shoulders. Don't get confused though, these two are about to go through a real angst-fest before this story ends
> 
> Comments, as always, are appreciated


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